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Frontal lobe volume in patients with Huntington's disease
E H Aylward1, N B Anderson, F W Bylsma
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore Huntington's Disease Center, MD, USA.
Neurology
|January 27, 1998
Summary
Frontal lobe atrophy in Huntington's disease (HD) is linked to cognitive decline, primarily affecting white matter in later stages. This brain atrophy mirrors overall brain volume loss as HD symptoms worsen.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder.
- Frontal lobe involvement in HD is suggested by neuropathologic and neuroimaging studies.
- Frontal lobe atrophy may correlate with cognitive impairment and clinical decline in HD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure frontal lobe gray and white matter volumes in HD patients using MRI.
- To correlate frontal lobe volumes with symptom severity and cognitive function in HD.
- To investigate the specificity of frontal lobe atrophy in Huntington's disease.
Main Methods:
- MRI scans were used to measure frontal lobe gray and white matter volumes.
- Twenty patients with HD (10 mild, 10 moderate) and 20 controls were studied.
- Frontal lobe volumes were correlated with clinical and cognitive measures.
Main Results:
- Mildly affected HD patients showed normal frontal lobe volumes compared to controls.
- Moderately affected HD patients had significant reductions in total frontal lobe (17%) and white matter (28%) volumes.
- Frontal lobe white matter loss was disproportionately greater than overall brain volume reduction.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive impairment and symptom severity in HD are associated with frontal lobe atrophy.
- This association is not specific to the frontal lobes and occurs in later stages of HD.
- Frontal lobe atrophy in HD primarily involves white matter and correlates with symptom severity.